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Since quitting in 1977, has walked a diverse path, traversing acoustic sounds, blues, classical and world music, but somehow the London-born guitarist is always drawn back to the music he helped create with Genesis. Hackett’s latest tour follows a familiar format: songs from his latest solo record , plus songs from a Genesis period, on this occasion their 1975 album , and also some of that band’s favourites. Very good, thanks.
We are doing my stuff in the first part of the show, and after the break we celebrate nine tunes from and some other well-known [Genesis] classics. It works well and people like the set. It’s not quite as simple as that.
I’m very happy when people respond well to the new stuff, but of course nostalgia is a big part of the story. I’m not looking to be an educationalist – there’s no test later – but it’s nice when people can sing along and participate. ? Sign up below to get the latest from Classic Rock, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox! I never used the word ‘concept’ in relation to the new album, that’s something that went out in the publicity.
I prefer to call it a narrative-based, autobiographical album. But yeah, absolutely, I enjoyed going back to that older way of working. That one is full of pyrotechnics.
It’s a song full of surprises. It has its own energy. It was written to support the narrative [of the album], rather than the other way around, and it projects a lot of visual triggers, setting up a lot of what follows.
The cap of the museum curator is largely of my own making. I’ve made my bed, now I must open it to the public [laughs]. I do love polishing off those old exhibits.
Shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the Genesis guys, I sweated blood to make them happen, and I’m extremely proud that they became something of a template for the way that progressive music was created. Funnily enough, it came from possibly the least likely source. Tony Banks [keyboards] has said a couple of times that I am the guy who is keeping the legacy alive.
I like to think what I’ve done [with the themed tours] is create a template that allows artists the possibility of revisiting their older material but also to keep things fresh. Dave Mason [ex-Traffic] has also done it. Any member of any band has the right to reopen the history book again and say: “This is what I’m doing.
Here’s the old stuff and the new.” The best of both worlds. Yeah, but [its predecessor] had been largely guitar-driven.
was a difficult album, because we were losing our lead singer [Gabriel], who had been largely responsible for the band’s success. Plus we were all getting older. It wasn’t a bunch of likely lads any more.
That album was made in a series of derelict houses [Headley Grange], which didn’t always sit well with domestic pressures. Losing someone of Peter’s stature was enormously unsettling, which is what caused a number of us to go off and do solo projects. It was a watershed moment for the band, with our existence very much under threat.
Those memories are very mixed. But my view is that taking the best of can weather any criticism of the album. I think it’s the right thing to do.
As ever there are quite a number of things going on. I do get involved in lots of different types of music, and that’s just how I like it. Right now I can’t say for sure.
I’m still going with rock in its broadest sense. Clearly, you show very little sign of slowing down. I’m not thinking of retiring, far from it.
These are extraordinary times, and making music is what keeps me going. . Dave Ling was a co-founder of Classic Rock magazine.
His words have appeared in a variety of music publications, including RAW, Kerrang!, Metal Hammer, Prog, Rock Candy, Fireworks and Sounds. Dave’s life was shaped in 1974 through the purchase of a copy of Sweet’s album ‘Sweet Fanny Adams’, along with early gig experiences from Status Quo, Rush, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Yes and Queen. As a lifelong season ticket holder of Crystal Palace FC, he is completely incapable of uttering the word ‘Br***ton’.
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